Tag Archives: climate change

Well, the time of year has come and gone for the old regime of Scisoc to be hewn down to make room for the newest one. And guess what readers, the changeover has taken place. We’re very grateful not many people were there to see the horrid, gory scene as last year’s executive was murdered in their prime to make way for others. Because really last year’s top minds were taking far too long to take over the world.

Yes that’s right. The head honchos are being bold as brass about their future plans this time round. Not only do they intend to run the society well, they have an honesty policy so crystal clear you can even admire the depths of the cellars, perusing their magic scrolls of doom-inspiring spells, ancient tomes of devious war machines, and their Hello Kitty memorabilia. Of course, that doesn’t mean they won’t tear you limb from limb once the perusing is over.

So let’s go ahead and meet the team. This year’s President of the Science Society is Hari Bhrugubanda, a short fellow willing to cut people off at the knees if they turn out to be bigger than he is. He’s got a good forehand too, so don’t doubt he can do it. His right hand man is James Colley, the new VP, whose razor sharp beard can’t be shaved by any regular means. Only lasers. Ironically, those feature heavily in his plans. Shhhh, don’t tell him I know that.

Your Secretary for this year will be one Isaac Carney. He’s the stealth expert, so much so I haven’t seen him around yet, which isn’t exactly the best thing for a secretary who has to answer phones all day. What? Ninjas have jobs too you know. To temper the balance within the organisation they’ve positioned Tony Cai as this year’s Treasurer. For those of you who don’t know, Tony’s peg leg and parrot make him the perfect man to guard the wooden chests in HQ’s basement. Yep, the one full of Hello Kitty stuff. Don’t stray in the wrong direction when browsing or you’ll get a bellyful of blade.

The dynamic duo has also decided to step up and profess their evil plans this year. Samuel Jenkins and Adam Chalmers are our new Publicity Officers and their PDA (that’s Public Displays of Anarchy, BTW) will take this team to a whole new level of mischief making. Don’t ask me which of them is Batman and which is Robin though. They may just have to try on tights and see.

Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz and Zachary Nicholson have unfortunately been left without their evil counterparts. Gid sits in one of the two broken-beer-bottle thrones of Social Coordinator and Zach is the male counterpart of the Interfaculty Sport creepy twins. And really, the empty throne next to Gid just makes him look a little depressed, and Zach isn’t as creepy lurking in the shadows all by himself.

Jarrod Kennedy however seems to be enjoying his position as First Year Officer. The maniacal laughter gets pretty annoying at night, though what is more concerning is the maniacal snoring when he falls asleep. He should go to a sleep deprivation clinic. And our Science Outreach Officer for the year, Jonathan (he doesn’t have a last name, which I find slightly menacing) has already been to a photographer for a few shots of himself crushing a globe in his hands. They’ll look good on his MySpace page, that’s for sure.

We’re currently still looking for a few positions on the executive though, and would greatly appreciate some volunteers. It’s worth a shot to anybody interested. Literally, executive members get injections for immunity to the gases that feature heavily in world domination plans XKCD-722 through SMBC-486. The positions that are open are for a second Social Coordinator, a female Interfaculty Sporting Officer, a Sponsorship Officer because we do need money to take over the world, and an IT Officer. Email us at secretary.scisoc@gmail.com if you’re interested in a position. God speed to you in the impending doom.

Australia’s central deserts support rich assemblages of animals and plants: add water, and the seemingly barren landscapes transform and pulsate with colour and activity. In this lecture, Professor Dickman will take us through the extraordinary ‘boom’ and ‘bust’ cycles that characterise inland Australia and examine how life persists during good times and bad. You will see the amazing adaptations that frogs and desert mice use to cope with the extreme conditions, how floods, wildfires and invasive species affect the native small mammals, and how so many species seem to appear and disappear at different times and places over the desert landscape. With the spectre of climate change looming, life in Australia’s central deserts may provide a glimpse of what the continent’s coastal fringes can expect in future.

In an era marked by deep global recession on one hand and the spectre of climate change on the other, the pursuit of so-called green jobs could become a key economic driver in sectors like energy, transportation, buildings, and infrastructure.

A portion of many national economic stimulus programs contain environment-friendly investments, and additional momentum toward a low-carbon global economy could be gained with the help of a so-called “Green New Deal.” In addition to greening production technologies, skill-building will be critical both for new employment and for transforming existing jobs.

According to a recent report in the Lancet, climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 20th century. The main burden of climate change will arise in issues of food security, clean water and sanitation, infectious disease and natural disasters.

Many developing countries have already experienced severe consequences, and current efforts to improve health and poverty in these countries will face new and unpredictable challenges as global temperatures continue to rise. Health professionals working with these populations are first-hand witnesses to the direct impact of climate change. As such, they have a key role to play, from a clinical, on-the-ground approach to the planning of large scale responses.

Dr Saul Griffith has multiple degrees in materials science and mechanical engineering. He has received numerous awards, including the National Inventors Hall of Fame Collegiate Inventor’s Award and a MacArthur Genius Fellowship.

Share Energy for Breakfast with experts in the field of energy and develop a greater insight into how energy issues will affect Australia and the rest of the world.

This lecture will discuss some of the latest developments in renewable energy and present an overview of the directions taken by European governments to resolve the problems they must deal with in the short, medium and long terms.